by I. T. Lucas
“She won’t,” Magnus said. “But if that’s how you want it, I have no problem with that.”
“Good. Now let's move to organizing the Guardians. I’m going to take as many as can fit in the two jets.” Turner handed Bridget another printout. “These missions will have to be postponed and the schedule reworked.”
“I’m on it.”
18
Julian
“Are Vivian and Ella going to the sanctuary today?” Julian asked as he and Magnus left Kian’s office.
“Vivian doesn’t have a class scheduled, and Ella was supposed to film, but she is without an assistant. I don’t know if she can do it all by herself.”
“Did Tessa quit for good?”
Magnus shrugged. “I don’t know, but it makes sense that she would after the panic attack she experienced. Apparently, the girl is too sensitive for that kind of work. Ella is made from stronger stuff.”
Even though Julian didn’t agree with Magnus’s assessment, he liked how proud of Ella the guy had sounded.
“Do you mind if I tag along? I want to talk to Ella.”
The Guardian smiled and clapped him on the back. “You are always welcome in our home, Julian. You are part of the family, and that is regardless of what the future holds for you and Ella, although I’m sure you are going to get your happily ever after, as Vivian likes to say.”
“Fates willing.”
Magnus nodded. “I think they are.”
When they neared the house, Vivian opened the door before they even made it to the front porch. She must’ve been waiting by the window, no doubt anxious to hear how the meeting went.
“Hi, Julian. Did you have breakfast?”
He rubbed his empty stomach. “After Kian called, I was too nervous to think about food.”
The truth was that he still hadn’t gone grocery shopping, and neither had Ray. His only option had been heating up a frozen pizza, which was gross for breakfast and took too long.
“Good, so you can join us. Ella and I made mountains of pancakes.”
Julian sniffed. “I can tell. Lots of cinnamon.”
Inside, Ella was setting the table, anxiety rolling off her in an atypical outpouring of emotion.
He walked up to her and pulled her into his arms. “It’s going to be okay. You have nothing to be afraid of.”
She pushed on his chest. “You think? Don't talk to me like I’m a baby.”
“Ella,” her mother warned. “Watch your temper. Julian is just trying to comfort you.”
“It’s okay,” Julian said. “You can punch me if you want.” He patted his chest. “Come on, right here. I can take it.”
Fisting her hands, she gave him a couple of playful punches. “Thanks. It helped.”
“Is that all you got?” He slapped his own chest. “Punch me harder.”
“I don’t want to. Sit down and eat your pancakes.”
Parker came in with a bottle of syrup. “You want some?”
“No, thanks.” Julian sat down and spread a napkin over his thighs. “I like mine with butter and honey.”
“Your loss, dude. This is good maple.”
After Magnus poured everyone coffee, Vivian lifted her mug and waited for him to sit down. “So, what’s the plan?”
“The Guardians leave for Washington tomorrow, and that includes Julian and me. You and Ella will fly out Monday and meet us there.”
“On the clan’s private jet?” Ella asked.
“Yes.”
“Kian said something about flying us to some remote airport and us taking a rented car from there. Is that still the plan?”
“I’m not sure what Turner is planning. He’s the mastermind.” He hated lying to Ella, but there was no way around it. Turner was right about that.
Vivian shook her head. “Why do you guys need to go with the other Guardians?”
Magnus put his fork down and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “We need to familiarize ourselves with the terrain and with the flow of foot traffic, find good spots for Guardians to hide around campus, and a thousand other details that go into planning and executing a successful operation. Simply put, if Julian and I are not part of the prep, we can’t participate.”
“How many Guardians are going?” Ella asked.
Julian glanced at Magnus. “About thirty, right?”
“More or less. Turner is taking as many as he can fit into the two aircraft.”
Ella whistled. “That’s a lot. Who is going to run the rescue missions if so many are going to Washington?”
“Bridget is going to reschedule or cancel them,” Magnus said.
She shook her head. “I feel bad about it. There are only two of us, and we really don’t need so much security. Those poor girls are suffering, and now their rescue is going to get postponed or canceled.”
Julian reached for her hand. “It’s not only about keeping Vivian and you safe. In the long run, catching Mr. D is more important than the missions that will get canceled. The information we can get out of him will save many more lives from ruin.”
“How do you figure that?”
“If we know where the island is, we might be able to save the women who are held there against their will.”
Magnus shook his head. “Sorry to disappoint you, Julian, but we won’t be able to do that even if we know where it is. The Brotherhood has thousands of warriors. We can’t attack their home base, and we certainly can’t bomb it because of all the innocents who live there.”
Ella threw her hands in the air. “So, what’s the point of catching Mr. D if we can’t do anything with the information we can extract from him?”
Magnus smirked. “I didn’t say we can’t do anything, just that we can’t attack the island and free the women. There are other things we can do.”
“Like what?” Vivian asked.
Magnus shrugged. “I’m sure Kian and Turner have a plan.”
19
Ella
With Magnus and her mother out on a walk with Scarlet, and Parker in his room, Ella and Julian were left alone in the living room with no chaperones, which for some reason filled Ella’s head with naughty thoughts.
It was silly. She could be alone with Julian whenever she wanted. Magnus and her mother didn’t even know that they were supposed to chaperone them.
A glance at Julian revealed that he either sensed her interest or had the same naughty thoughts. His eyes were glowing, and he seemed uncomfortable.
“Would you like to have coffee out on the front porch?”
That was as public as she could make it, but since their house was in the new part of the village, the only possible passerby was Merlin. Still, someone might decide to visit Merlin. But that was unlikely this early in the morning. She doubted the doctor was even up. From what she’d learned about him, Merlin was a night owl and liked to sleep in late.
“Good idea. I’ll pour us what’s left in the carafe.”
Joining her on the loveseat swing outside, he handed her a full mug. “I fixed it the way you like it.”
“Thank you.” She took a sip. “I guess that with you and Yamanu gone, the work on the halfway house is going to stop.”
“Yamanu is not coming. He is staying in the village to protect it if needed.”
The wheels in her brain spinning fast, it didn’t take her long to realize why the village needed extra protection. “Kian fears that Mr. D saw what’s inside my head and figured out where the village is?”
“Turner, not Kian. He says it’s a remote possibility, but he is a very careful guy.”
Ella shook her head. “I wouldn’t be able to find this village, so even if Mr. D could see what I did, there is no way he could find it. But that’s irrelevant because he can’t get into my head.”
“You don’t know that. When you met him, he’d not only peeked into your memories and found out about the telepathy you and your mother share, but he also made you forget whatever he talked with you about. As I said before, he is a very p
owerful immortal, and you should never underestimate him.”
Ella smirked. “That may be true, but I found a way of getting rid of him really fast if I need to.”
“How?”
“Last night when he entered my dream, I was sad over what happened with Tessa in the sanctuary. He didn’t like dealing with my bad mood and poofed out as soon as he could. I figured anytime I don’t want him to hang around my head, I can bring up sad memories. Until this is over, I plan to be sad often.”
“Don’t overdo it. What if Turner is wrong and he wants you for you and not the telepathy? He might change his mind if you keep acting depressed.”
Ella chuckled. “Suddenly you don’t mind me being nice to Mr. D? Should I up my game and pretend to seduce him?”
Julian’s eyes blazed blue. “Just keep stringing him along. After centuries of having any woman he wants, the Doomer probably appreciates the chase more than the catch.”
That soured her mood. “Do you think he thralls women into going to bed with him?”
“He doesn’t need to. Or did you forget the giant brothel the Doomers have at their disposal on the island?”
“Right. I did. But he is stationed in the States, so he doesn’t have access to it.”
“There is no shortage of the paid variety here. Those who are voluntarily in it for the money, and those who are coerced by threats.”
She wondered whether Logan frequented the kind of brothels the clan routinely raided to rescue girls who’d been sold into sexual slavery. He wasn’t a good man, she had no such illusions, but he was also vain, and he appreciated luxury. Logan probably paid for the best escort girls money could buy, not some poor girls who’d been drugged and beaten into cooperation.
Unless he was perverted and enjoyed inflicting suffering.
She wouldn't put it past him. In fact, he would have made a much better choice as the lead for the Fifty Shades movie than the actor they’d chosen for that role. Still, if she were a casting director, she would have selected Logan to play Lucifer, and not some playboy billionaire with a kinky twist.
The king of the underworld suited him better.
“What are you smirking about?” Julian hooked his finger under her chin and turned her so she had to look at him.
“Nothing important. I was pretending to be a casting director in my head.”
He lifted a brow. “Do you do that often?”
“Yeah, I do.” She sighed. “I was having fun casting Mr. D as Lucifer, but I need to focus on casting someone new for the role of my filming assistant. I’m afraid Tessa is out. And now with you gone for the week, I also need someone to help me with editing. I want to put those videos up and start the fundraiser. I can’t be the director of a charity that doesn't exist yet.”
“Try Sylvia. She’s not too busy, and she should be a quick learner after the many years she’s spent studying.”
“Isn’t she dangerous to electronics, though?”
“Not unless she wills them to malfunction. At least that’s my understanding. Roni wouldn't have let her into his lair if she was going to damage his equipment.”
“Do you have her number?”
“I have Roni’s.” He put his mug down on the floor and pulled out his phone. “I’ll share the contact with you.”
“Thanks.”
Ella waited for him to put the phone back in his pocket before lifting her bottom and planting it in his lap. “If I’m not going to see you for almost a week, I need a kiss of all kisses to remember you by.”
“Do you now?” He wrapped his large palm around the back of her neck, massaging the side with his thumb.
With his other arm wrapped around her waist, he had her trapped, but Ella didn’t feel even a smidgen of panic. Only desire.
“Kiss me, Julian.” She wound her arms around his neck.
His fingers gently rubbing the back of her head, he tilted his head and brushed his lips over hers. Soft and yet firm, cold and yet hot.
As the world spun around her, Ella moaned. When was the last time they’d kissed? Had it been Monday? Yeah, after they were done filling in the applications. But it felt as if he hadn’t kissed her in ages.
He was going slow, drawing the kiss out and making her impatient for more, his tongue flicking over her lips, delving inside her mouth, and then retreating to lick her lips again.
As she arched into him, pressing her hardening nipples against his chest, his hand brushed lightly over the side of her breast, sending tiny bolts of lightning into her feminine core and igniting her desire.
“Touch me, Julian,” she breathed into his mouth.
Without warning, he left her mouth and dipped his head, taking her nipple between his lips together with the bra and shirt covering it.
“Julian,” she groaned.
Reaching for the hem of her shirt, she started lifting it up. But as suddenly as he’d taken her nipple, Julian let go of it, lifted her off his lap, and set her down beside him.
“Lean into me,” he whispered. “Your shirt is wet.”
A moment later Scarlet bounded onto the porch, her tail wagging and her tongue lolling.
Damn. Vivian and Magnus were back from their walk.
Chuckling, Ella murmured into Julian’s shirt, “Saved by the dog.”
20
Vivian
The walk had done little to alleviate Vivian’s anxiety. Despite Kian and Magnus’s reassurances, she had a bad feeling about them using Ella as bait to trap the Doomer prince, but she saw no way of backing out of it or convincing Ella to reconsider.
Not that at this stage of the game it was an option for either of them. Perhaps if Ella had been less enthusiastic and confident about her ability to lure Lokan, Vivian could’ve argued against it.
Probably not even then.
After all that the clan had done for her family, and how important catching Navuh’s son was for them, refusing was not an option.
Talk about peer pressure.
If they backed down, living in the village would become intolerable. Everyone would pretend to understand, but on the inside, they would resent her and Ella, thinking of them as cowardly and ungrateful.
That was not how Vivian envisioned her and Ella’s future in the village. Even Parker and Magnus would be affected.
As the door opened and Ella came in with Julian, Vivian plastered a pleasant smile on her face and took the empty mugs from his hands. “Would you like more coffee?”
“I need to change.” Ella was holding her shirt away from her body. “I spilled coffee on myself.” She darted into the hallway.
Looking after her retreating back, Julian sighed. “I would have loved to stay and have another cup with you, but I need to get moving. Yamanu is waiting for me at the halfway house. I need to make arrangements for the project to keep going while I’m gone.”
“Can’t you have someone else supervise the job?” Magnus asked.
“Not on such short notice, and Yamanu can’t take my place because he needs to stay in the village during the heightened alert. When we started the project, I thought to save money by managing the job site and subcontracting the work. Now I regret not hiring a general contractor to handle everything.”
“What about the pros Kian uses in the real estate development?”
Julian shook his head. “They don’t do renovations.” He turned to Vivian. “I guess the next time I’ll see you will be in Washington.”
Swallowing, she nodded.
“Good luck.”
Listening to the guys talk about remodeling had been a momentary distraction, but Julian’s reminder spiked her anxiety back up.
Vivian waited for the door to close behind him before walking up to Magnus and wrapping her arms around him. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. You’ve become such a vital part of my days and my nights that I’m going to feel lost and lonely while you’re gone.”
He held her to him tightly, rocking her in place. “Are you having separation an
xiety, lass?”
That wasn’t the type of language Magnus used. Had he been consulting with Vanessa without telling her?
“Who have you been talking with?”
“Andrew. He says Phoenix cries every morning when he leaves for work, and it breaks his heart even though she stops the moment the door closes behind him.”
“So, what are you saying, that I’m acting like a little girl?”
He shook his head. “No, love. It’s just that this is the first time we are going to be apart since we met, and that’s why it feels so uncomfortable. But it’s not going to be the last. I’m a Guardian, and although most of the time I will be assigned to local missions, from time to time I will have to leave for several days. You’d better get used to that.”
Resting her forehead on his chest, Vivian nodded. “I know. I’ll have to keep myself super busy, that’s all. Perhaps Vanessa can use my help with more things than just the sewing class. I just hope she’ll be okay with me bringing Parker over. He’s fine by himself for a few hours, but I don’t want to leave him alone for entire days.”
As she rambled on and on, Magnus rubbed slow circles on her back, waiting patiently for her to calm down. Even though they hadn’t been together all that long, he knew her so well because he paid attention.
She lifted her head and kissed his lips. “I love you. You’re the best.”
Wearing a fresh shirt, Ella walked in and cast an amused glance at them. “Are we still going to the sanctuary today, Mom? Or do you want to spend every moment smooching with Magnus until he leaves?”
Kissing the top of Vivian’s head, he gently disentangled himself from her arms. “I wish we could, but I have a briefing I need to attend.”
“When?” Vivian asked.
“After lunch.”
“Good, so we can eat together.” She turned to Ella. “I called Vanessa and canceled for today. We need to go shopping.”
“What for?”
“Clothes, shoes. You have nothing decent to wear for the interview. You can’t go wearing your Frankenstein boots or sneakers.”
